Darts: kit dart modifications

ABSTRACT

A dart is disclosed, by internal axii and radial modification, that has variously segmented positions that involve the forward or scoring embodiments for either soft tip darts or steel tip darts, their axial movement being through reciprocally staged bores for a depending shaft and enlarged collar; the central segment having both or singularly employed, a ribbed gripping segment and the possible addition of multiple weight referents at one or both sides of this stated locus that can be duplexly insertable at the receiving bore; an aftward flights carrying shaft, employing an internal collar against sympathetic staged bores receiving that actional shaft; a rubber spring stabilizing internal placement of the various components while controlling both axial and non-axial movement of either the forward or aftward end of this throwing projectile through lateral compression/displacement, thereby creating the severe reduction of deflection and rejection known in the art of this game device; and, separate thread bearers, against staged bores, to connect the used components into a completed barrel for the three dart set commonly used.

Cross Referenced to Related application Ser. No. 09/781,494, whichbecame 6,524,201.

This application changes the provisional status of 60/450,263, givenAug. 18, 2003, by filing via USPS Priority Mail # 0130 2990 0005 86691168 on the date of Aug. 18, 2004, and does seek patent pending statusrelative to the continuity here noted and requested by this small entityapplicant for LETTERS PATENT.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

There have been an extremely large variety of advances made in and forthe various games of darts. A dart is a hand held tubular projectilehaving a point, that is generally designed to be thrown at a target forthe purposes of scoring within circularly and radially defined impactareas on the target. A typical dart also includes an attachable shaftcarrier aft of and axially oriented to the main body which generallycarries guidance vanes, called flights, to help stabilize the trajectoryof the thrown dart.

In most cases, the advances have been applied to an external shape ofthe dart. Various materials are used to create the barrel or centralsegment of the dart body, such as wood, brass, various amalgams, ortungsten. Into these materials are formed various shapes or patterns,designed to enhance the user's grip or finger placement. Shapes mayinclude dish-outs for finger placement or knurling.

Points for the darts may be either “soft-tip” or “steel tip.” The softtip is usually of plastic, and designed to impact a target of denselypacked sissal which can accept the scoring point, so that the player canvisually establish the value of the thrown dart. A steel tip dart mustremain in the target during the player's turn sequence (which mayinclude the throw of multiple darts), to create a score. Both theelectronic and sissal target boards include areas of different valueseparated thy thin metal or plastic dividers (sometimes called“spiders:). If a dart directly impacts a divider, it may bounce off thetarget without sticking or impacting a scoring position. Prior attemptshave been made to design darts which will remain in the target even if adivider is struck or, at least, create an impact reference. And inreference to the soft-tip approach, against the use of a screw-inplastic tip, it is known that removal from the polymer scoring face andreceiving plethora of holes therein requires an opposing rotation of thecompleted dart so as to use the removal aspect to break the moment weldof two plastics meeting under pico-second conditions that can reach orexceed 45 miles per hour by this projectile.

In one approach, the soft tip has been formed from a composite of carbonoriented plastic so as to provide a means of flexion when it strikes thetarget, thereby reducing the chance of rejection by a divider. In thiscomposite dart tip, it has been shown that if dart tip is sharpenedafter deformation created by impact with an impediment, the harmonicsignature of the dart is changed.

Another prior art point approach, has been to provide means to allow forthe axial movement of the point within a forward containment area of thecentral dart body, with various controls therefor. Several approachesemploy a floating point shaft contained in or by a screw-in race, onebeing a manually applied pinch effect of the taper of the point in anaxial bore of the race, where, impact with the target releases the pointso as to allow a hammer effect to drive the dart further into thetarget. Another approach involves an enlarged head on the axial pointshaft, either being rounded or drop hammer formed in a manner calledpeening, with the head being constrained screw-in or press fitted race,or obverse placement, or by annularly placed resilient washers, orO-rings. Other approaches, rather than O-rings, have utilized axialplacement of resilient strips in machined grooves to engage the shaft'scollar in an attempt to slow the impact moment; where, a variation tothe O-rings employs radially inwardly projecting fingers that interactwith the enlarged collar to control the impact induced moment in thecontainment cavity. Again, these various structures are employed in ahammer system; but, there is a failure to recognize that this approach,during initial impact with a target or divider, does not allow thelinear alignment between the dart's point and body to be altered.

Further, in several of the latter approaches, the O-rings have beenplaced in a subtending annular race of that enlarged shaft ending head;or, they have been placed in the orienting insert, within a radiallyoutwardly positioned annular raceway; or, they have been placed, incombination, forwardly of that enlarged head and in the raceway. But, inthese darts, it is common to find that substantial wear occurs, as therotation of the variously placed O-rings are working against astationary shoulder, thereby limiting the value of the point movement.

Another approach has been the usage of a spring body surmounted about ashaft positioner so as to provide an axially oriented progressiveloading characteristic for impact with a scoring area. However, springsare known to lose temper due to the short compression cycle experiencedby the impact of those darts.

In other darts, the aftward portion of the shaft-ending enlarged headcan impact a taper formed cavity ending buttress, this to provide anangular distortion about the body or barrel's axis, a conoid machinedshaft that impacts a similarly shaped and obversely positioned conoidbody thereaft during impact-induced axial travel, this to provide anon-axial motion when impact with a target's dividers or impedimentsoccurs, particularly the segments that have the highest scoring value.But, it is known that the use of springs, with their subsequent loss oftemper caused by the pico-second impact can and do lose this non-axialutility: both coil springs and metal strips which are constrainedagainst lateral movement outside the axis of the load causes direct lossof that ability.

Also, due to the various construction methods, none of these approacheshave the ability to ignore the effects of gravity, which may eliminatetheir effectiveness, because, when the point is retained in the targetboard, the body of the dart may be angled downwardly relative to thepoint, and this body may block subsequent darts thrown toward smallareas of high score value.

One such example is the internal and forward use of a resilient cylinderwith an axially formed bore receiver for receipt of a point shaft, withthe aftward end thereof being rounded, with the resilient body simplypush-inserted into a receiver cavity of the dart, and placement beingarrested by the round end of the shaft against a buttress. There are noprovisions against the elastomeric cylinder's propensity to return to anunloaded state, distortion created by non-axial movement upon impactwith a target would cause the cylinder to actually creep out of thisposition; and, this distortion would tear the bore therein.

Two other approaches employ either a wound spring on the depending shaftof the point, or a flight-carrying shaft, while showing some utility,neither recognizes that heat and/or non-axial loading will causedisplacement or breakage of the point. The wound spring, like it'srubberoid counterpart, will actually displace itself from thecontainment cavity upon lateral displacement. The cupped spring withcurved end catchments for the flight shaft, or any half-dome with acentral hole receiver for that shaft carrier, faces two considerations:any spring, beyond heat loss, will attempt to return to an unladedstate, thereby becoming an impediment that could interfere with thetrajectory of subsequent darts; whereas, the fully cupped spring, beyondthe increased potential of resistance, actually embodies a buckleeffect. In addition, a strip-type spring, like those above, limits theflights-carrying shaft to only two directions of movement, they beingalong the axis formed by the width thereof.

Regarding the weights and shapes of darts available, there have beenmore than one approach. One is an end-threaded shaft that connects thefore and aft ends of the barrel. Various axially-bored pieces of varyingdensity are placed along the shaft to create varying weights and shapes.Stability is improved by an O-ring positioned appropriately.

Another employs a similar internal shaft, and has a variety of weightbeads that are placed thereon by the user, prior to insertion into aninternal cavity of the barrel, where stability is derived, again, by anappropriately positioned O-ring.

Yet another employs various media, in the hammer approach, that aresometimes separated so as to provide a differing method of weightdistribution within the internal chamber of the dart.

Then another employs a simple and fixed addition to the internalchamber, from the aft end, the density of which changes relative to thedesired weight; but, whose forwardly positioned end in the taperedreceiving bore is employed as a buttress, it affecting the point'sreaction to impact with the impediments.

Additionally, another approach combines the annular receipt of an O-ringimpinging a balled-ended shaft, with that ball impinging upon theforward end created by impact.

Then, there is the combination of a scoring shaft with a peened orformed head that rests on a ball bearing, with the latter impinging on acylindrical rubberoid member, this arrangement supposedly allowingincremental movement of the scoring member during impact; but, due tothe inability of the rubberoid member to expand laterally during impacttransition, this cylindrical member can explode, thereby limiting itsimpact control.

In all of the above approaches, while showing some utility, noneconsider the effect of having a forwardly formed cavity which affectsthe desired forwardly induced weight differentials. Additionally,because of the possibility of loosening, which can cause rattling anddistraction, or the fact that the loss of any one piece can eliminatethat dart from play, the utility of this prior art are consideredmarginal at best.

And, regard guidance vanes or flights, there have been a variety ofattachment variations: there is a polymer shaft, extending radiallyaftwardly from the central body, generally being threadably attached,and having forward molded receiver slots in an X-format, it receiving apress-insertion of the flights chosen by the player; or, obverselyjoined V's, the vertice junction creating a slot for that flight memberinsertion. And, there have been specialized flight-carrying shafts thatreceive a tripodal vane rather than the four vanes more commonly usedfor the guidance of the thrown projectile, this approach limiting theimpediments involved in trajectory interference.

Another approach, called SLICKSTICK, employs that shaft but has a slotthat is end-bounded that, in turn, receives the “X” flight slippedlaterally into and positioned at the aftward end of the slot prior tothe player's throw, this allowing forward but non-radial movementcreated from impact with any subsequently thrown dart. And, after thethrow and removal from the target, must be manually moved to thebackward station.

One of the first spinning flights, called DYNA-STAR, employs anaftwardly axial shaft that has an enlarged portion thereon for receiptof a pull-molded spine carrying the flights, that is slipped-pressedonto and beyond a pinch created shoulder of that shaft carrier. Thiswill allow radial movement created by an incoming projectile thrown inclose proximity to an at-rest dart.

There are others that are also rotational about the dart axis; but, nonerecognize that by the time the impact induces any spinning movement, thedart is well past the point of collision therewith. In addition,spinning about the axis can be a detriment; none take into account thatthe darts thrown have multiple speeds and trajectories.

In all of the prior art approaches noted, notwithstanding the displayedutility, the attempts have been to provide the player with a dart thatwill enhance their application of skills and growth in the game ofdarts. Yet, there are possible advances to that general application ofdart design that will enable the particular user to create a more fullypersonalized involvement with this enjoyable game, thereby furtheringthe art of the game and the player's approach towards seriousenhancement of their skills.

SUMMARY

As established from my patent works of 6,277,041 and the conjoining6,524,201, and relative to the encompassing papers foundation created in1994 that have both associational and developmental characteristics by asingle hand author, this is a kit dart having “mix-and-match”capabilities across both soft tip and steel tip venues; but, within theaspect of said kit against the commonality of diameters and materials,in general, an appropriate facet hereof is the capability of beingcross-applicational to known prior art because of the known aspect ofutilizing the proven polybag approach for display of the variouscomponents at the retail level, called grid development hereby throughthe usage of “X & Y” axes against said retail board value, therebyallowing market driven values to produce a program necessary for theevolution of this encompassing kit darts approach to utility. Thus, itis known within the envelope hereof that certain portions for thisapproach to uncommon utility, through the factual difference of a rubberspring eliminating fatigue found in the “metal” spring utilization, thatmy scoring member and matching endcap can be employed in darts barrelsalready on the marketplace because of that impact controlling cylinder,the latter expanding oblately by lateral expression to disperse negativeforces that can cause rejection and/or deflection known in prior art,thereby furthering the marketing grid employed herewith.

Because this dart also employs shafts depending forward or aftward ofthe main body, either by an integral or snap approach for the collar toa particular shaft, a radially positioned and axially oriented flatembodiment shall reciprocally prevent rotation of the shaft impingingthe installable collar and/or impinging the particular endcap used tofinish the end of the central segment of this darts invention; as, itwas shown by the materials of 1994 and 1995, from both copyright andmodels fixation, the only way to remove the original soft-tip approachfrom the receiving polymer holes of the dartboard face was to jerk thedart from said board receiver.

What this invention does is modify the available shafts forwardly oraftwardly against the placement into an appropriate barrel for thecompleted dart; with any prior art shaft without a collar requiring afemale receiver for click snap location of the enlarged collar, andinwardly of that is the noted flat being received in said collared endto prevent rotation, with that inwardly collar reciprocally having aflat slidably matching a positional reference within the endcap andaxially referenced to further eliminate rotation against handmanipulation and/or impact considerations. But, in the matching of saidcollar to the endcap's internal structure, it is entirely possible toshorten the axial dimension from the forward end of the shaft's openingthat interacts with the shaft's chord oriented collar portion, therebyallowing firstly the non-rotational aspect to be coupled to therotational aspect through axially oriented travel of said collar past adetermined point within that endcap, with a taper at that transitionallowing an at rest return when resetting of the actional parts prior tothe next competitive use by the player.

In the advent that this invention uses a “peened” collar, known in priorart, then it will have a flat machined against the edge that shall beconsidered a chord reduction, said difference allowing it to be employedsingularly against a pre-tap bore in conjunction with the noted rubbercylinder of this invention as the flat impinging same is radially withinthe endcap, or in conjunction with an enlarged and particularly shapedcollar for these bridging inventions while expressing the sameattributes noted priorly.

In all of the above, the endcap for same that closes one or both ends ofthe central body or segment, can be created from cast and/or machinedbrass or by spin-casting aluminum such as T-6; or, where and ifappropriate, it can be manufactured from a molten polymer carrying glassfilaments known in prior art plastic injection molding.

And, in the use of a grip managing portion or separated body as shown inmy grant of 6,524,201, it is possible to employ the obverse variantshown here, it being a radial series of ribs extending past the primarybarrel diameter along it's axis, they being separated incrementally soas to improve finger/grip capture. While it is possible that theiroutward projection may become damaged through repeated trajectoryimpacts, even though their radial measurement increase against thechosen diameter is just thousandths of an inch, it's the ability toreplace just one portion of the completed darts body that allows thissimple convergence towards utility.

Within the replaceable aspects of this work, it is possible to use avariation of the loc-tite thread bearer that joins segments together fora completed darts body. Whether forward or aftward, against possiblewear experienced by the abrasion caused from axial movement of theworking portions, a tight fitting sleeve is loc-tite positioned betweencomplex endward embodiments requiring extremely high tolerance machiningand pre-formed tubes of sintered tungsten that only require the finishmachining at both the external values and the staged bores to completethe assembly. The internal cuts of the end pieces conform to theinsertable component values expressed hereby, while the proposed tubethat may complete a portion whether used fore or aft of the gripprovisioner continues the use of the noted thread bearer to connectsame. Thus, it is possible to replace any one of the shown segments bythe simple prior art act of heating at the joinery to break the loc-titebond prior to parts replacement for the completed portional assembly.

A further development is the modified usage of the works found in 1994,which eliminates the need to utilize loc-tite in stress related areasthat might be conducive to failure, by the change of the annotatedcirclip of Nov. 21, 1994 to a loc-tite sleeve with two portional slotslocated 180 degrees apart and circumferentially oriented; they relatingto male prongs depending radially outwardly from a slide-in collar ofclose fitting means to said fixed position, this thread carrying bodyhaving two spring slots 180 degrees apart and placed 90 degrees out ofphase from the noted partial slot receiver and partial prongs relatingthereto. The simple values of and for engagement of the male and femaleportions, against the displacement of the noted slots that allow radialdisplacement during insertion into the receiver sleeve therefor, iscreated by insertion of the enlarged shaft depending axially inwardlythat is found on either the flights shaft or scoring shaft that slidablyrelates to the threaded barrel endcap of this invention, with rotationalclosure of that endcap establishing stability in this close fittingapproach. Removal of same, if desired, is through the use of a reversejaw pliers mechanism and requiring nothing more than a simple axial pulldue to the taper found on the male prongs, as this would reacquaint thefound spring slot into the noted insertion value for displacement of thediameter. With this addition, caused by the sometimes found need to waitfor a period longer than is equitable in the game venue due to the needfor the general use of loc-tite to substantially cure, the requirementof any kind of heat value is also negated through this simple approach,thereby establishing the necessary cross-relational aspect for bothsteel tip and soft tip darts that this invention addresses.

Against the duplex annotation noted for weight inserts, found in6,277,041 and 6,524,201, further possibilities involve a cylindricaltungsten billet having a fixed shaft extending from one or both ends;with the length and amalgam properties from 50/50/to 95/5 creating theweighting feature that allows personalization from that KIT DART aspect.The outward end/s of that locating shaft comprising either a concaveface or partial bore, with either approach being utilized to provide alocus for at least one end of the rubber spring member of thisinvention, said resilient body expanding laterally during moments ofimpact to provide axial stability for those impinging darts membersduring that positioned stress.

The formulaic position of “f-cubed-tau over pi/r-squared,” beingbracketed and squared can be found in my 1994 materials, and shown as atruncated reference in both previously mentioned works for this thrownprojectile. Instead of “f” representing force, it represents “frequency”as a datum movement against time, whereas “pi/r-squared” represents abound global means about the nullity of said functional reference. Sincethe toy uses radial boundary layers comprising tubular walls, which aredatum values, the above expression is construed as an implicit “ringtheorem” for the established position found in both works, and why theposition is considered a truncation of the bound global datum entrymeans; where, the full deployment of same is knowingly reserved for thefederal filings dated Oct. 6, 1983 (federal masque) and Aug. 25, 1987(federal masque).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a prior art soft tip dart received in an electronicscoreboard.

FIG. 2 shows a prior art steel tip dart received in a sissal scoreboard.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show prior art arrangements for attaching dart flightsto a shaft.

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, and 4 d reference prior materials; 4 a/b/c areknown product values, while 4 d is parent material.

FIGS. 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, and 5 d show how modifications are made to priorart materials, thereby staying within the design envelope created by theparent materials.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are sleeves for this invention; with 6 a employed atthe forwardly internal cavity, with a portional flat reducing the borein a chord reduction, while 6 b is a full sleeve employed to allow thecentral segment to be separated into discrete portions for the possibleplacement of a gripping modulus.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are employed both forwardly and aftwardly in theinvention.

FIG. 8 is a partial cutaway so that the flat is shown on a scoringmember carrier, it matching the forwardly found chord function of FIG. 6a.

FIG. 9 shows a possible weight body for the invention.

FIG. 10 is a completed assembly of the invention, including a 10 adetailed cutaway.

FIG. 11 shows, in a linear “a through f”, the segments that would createa darts barrel.

FIG. 12 is a partial view of a retail darts display board, with partialgrid references thereon against X and Y, with a two dimensional view forthree dimensional phaseal patterning for a simplified depiction of thecurvelinear demand values that create marketing and manufacturingcriterium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, this shows a typical dart 10, with a soft tip,comprising a tubular central body or barrel 11 having an aftwardlypositioned grip 12 creating a forward thrust or weight bias; screw-inscoring tip 13 with a tapered front 14 and larger shaft 15, and ascrew-in collar 16 threadably joined to the barrel. At the rear of thedart is a screw-in flight-carrying shaft 17, with an X-slot 18 forreceiving slide in flight 19.

The typical electronic dart board 20 includes scoring face 22, withareas of differing value delineated by boundaries or “spiders” 21. Thescoring face includes holes 23 for receiving the dart tip. Impact planes24 and 25 cooperate with signal plane 26 to record the score. The boardis mounted on backing carrier 27.

FIG. 2 shows a typical steel tip dart received in a typical sissal board28, having the same spiders 21 noted above.

FIG. 3 a shows a flight carrying shaft used in the prior art, comprisinga round rod 29 for receiving a press fitted carrier 30 having an X-slot18 to receive flight 19; while, FIG. 3 b shows that rod 29 may have awire 31 extending therefrom, the wire having an indent 32 for receivingDYNA-STAR flights.

1. A dart comprising a central body having axially depending shaftsoutwardly therefrom, the forward member consisting of a shaft withsharply tapered end being the scoring embodiment, while the aftwarddepending shaft carries the guidance vanes of this invention; the shaftat either end extending through a close-fitting slide bore, the internalstoppage being against an inwardly formed buttress wall surrounding thatbore and reciprocally engaging the enlarged collar found inwardly at theend of that shaft; an end-cap providing a buttress wall and stagedthroughbore for receiving that shaft and enlarged collar found eitherforwardly or aftwardly or at both ends, and threadably joined to the endof the central body; the end-cap including a chordal reduction inwardlyof the shaft's slide bore, considered a flat, that reciprocally matchesthe same found on the enlarged collar, that collar continuing to exhibitthe first form of sliding in the bore receiving it; an impactcontrolling resilient rubber spring abutting that enlarged collar andthe end of a pretap bore, the starting bore sufficiently larger than thediameter of that spring body so as to allow non-axial expansion causedby impact, said act allowing axial movement by the shaft through thoseclose fitting receiving bores; a radially extending gripping body,beyond the common diameter of the central body, consisting of separatedribs that provide positive positioning for finger placement; the centralbody placement of a gripping body providing axial chambers at one sideor both for duplex oriented insertion of a weights body that can distortbalance distribution of that completed central segment; a fixablyinsertable sleeve against staged receiving bores that connect segmentedpositions at one or both ends of the central body, having a reciprocalbore against the internal diameter of the central body for receivingsame; thread bearers, insertably fixed in staged receivers for thatcentral body, providing an attachment means upon rotation of theengaging members; and polybagging of the cross-relational components,for either game venue, so as to allow a determined mix-and-match for akit dart's approach to simplification.